MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 17, 2016) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team traveled to Southern New Hampshire for a Northeast-10 matchup on Wednesday night. Senior forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) had a game-high 21 points, but it was not enough, as the Penmen slipped past for the win, 56-55, at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

The Ravens record now stands at 13-11 overall and 10-9 in conference, while SNHU advances to 14-11 overall and 8-11 in conference.

Charette and senior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) took turns throughout the first quarter with the scoring for the Ravens. The Penmen able to surge past the Ravens late in the quarter, but a last-minute effort by senior guard Natalie Bastian (Branford, Conn.), who sank a three with 40 seconds to go, pushed the Ravens back ahead, 15-13, at the end of the first.

As the second began, sophomore forward Olivia Conrad put home six straight points for the Penman, while junior guard Dana Campbell (Merrick, N.Y.) sank a triple to keep Ravens close, as they trailed 19-18.

Charette and junior forward Mikayla Deguire (Watervilet, N.Y.) led an 8-2 run, which lasted until just over five minutes were left in the half, as the Ravens jumped to a 26-22 lead. Senior forward Erin Doherty broke up the run with back-to-back layups to re-tie the game, 26-26.

Bastian sank another three, but junior guard Sarah Ryan fired back with a three to take the lead for SNHU. Charette spoke last in the half, with a layup to tie the game going into the second half, 33-33.

The second half started with two three-pointers from the Ravens, as Bastian and Campbell both sank their shots for a 39-35 Raven lead. Freshman guard Brianna Camara shot back with a three for the Penmen, which ignited a 9-0 run for SNHU, which left the Ravens trailing. Charette split a pair of late free throws and later hit a buzzer-beater jump shot to cut the SNHU lead to 48-46 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Ravens had a quiet start to the fourth, with the team's scoring remaining at a standstill until the 5:30 mark, when Gardner made a layup to close the gap to 52-48.

Charette and Bastian connected for layups, with Bastian's serving as the equalizer, tying the game at 52-52 with 3:37 to play. With 18 seconds left in the game, Gardner made a key layup to push the Ravens ahead, 55-54, but sophomore guard Jennifer Shelp found the backboard at the other end for a layup of her own with five seconds to go, to send the Penman out front for the win, 56-55.

Franklin Pierce was led on Wednesday by Charette with 21 points and Bastian with 13 points. The Ravens shot 42.9% (24-56) in the field and only made it to the line eight times, going just 2-for-8 on free-throw attempts.

For the Penmen, Conrad recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. SNHU shot 36.4% (24-66) from the floor and 62.5% (5-8) from the charity stripe.

The Ravens play again on Saturday, Feb. 20, when they travel to Merrimack for a 1 p.m. game.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).